Recall Accuracy in Children: Age vs. Conceptual Thinking.

Valeri Murnikov,Kristjan Kask

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.686904

Abstract

The aim of this study was to replicate a previous experiment using a different stimulus event. The present study examined the relationship between age, development of conceptual thinking, and responses to free recall, suggestive and specific option-posing questions in children and adults. Sixty-three children (aged 7–14) and 30 adults took part in an experiment in which they first participated in a live staged event, then, a week later, were interviewed about the event and tested using the Word Meaning Structure Test. Age and level of conceptual thinking were positively correlated in children. Compared to age, conceptual thinking ability better predicted children's accurate free recall and inaccurate responses to specific option-posing questions, but not inaccurate responses to suggestive questions.

Highlights

Investigative interviews involve systematically gathering detailed, accurate accounts of a situation or event (Powell et al, 2005; St-Yves, 2014)
We used the Kruskal-Wallis test to check if responses to free recall, suggestive, and specific option-posing questions differed according to demonstrator, interviewer, or location
In children, Word Meaning Structure Test scores would be associated with age and would, compared to age, better predict children’s responses in free recall, and to suggestive and specific option-posing questions

Summary

Introduction

Investigative interviews involve systematically gathering detailed, accurate accounts of a situation or event (Powell et al, 2005; St-Yves, 2014). A recent study (Kask et al, 2019) found a relationship between age, development of word meaning structure, and accurate detailed answers to free recall (prompting the child to tell with his/her own words such as “Tell me what happened”), suggestive (indicating a detail the child has not answered such as “The man was wearing a suit, didn’t he?”) and specific option-posing questions (indicating a clearly inaccurate answer such as “Did he touch you?”). If asking for the similarity between a cat and a dog, an answer in everyday concepts rely on sensory attributes (e.g., they go together because they have both four legs) whereas an example of the scientific concept would assume hierarchical relationship (e.g., they are both domestic animals). Through the development and the education, the amount of logical concepts determine dominative conceptual thinking i.e., a person thinks mainly in everyday concepts or thoughts are mediated mostly by logical concepts

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